The re-opening of the Lake View case regarding adequacy in public education has given many school districts hope for increased funding, but with a Dec. 1, 2006 deadline, administrators aren't sure just how soon any help may come their way.

"The ruling does not come as a surprise because the state absolutely did not have a defense to the charge they had not done the adequacy study required in the original ruling," Dover superintendent Dan Lovelady said.

"Also, they had no defense to the matter of increased cost of operations and the fact they did not increase the base funding, not to mention the additional costs to schools of the unfunded mandates resulting from the 2005 regular and special sessions."

In its ruling, the state Supreme Court listed 10 areas that require further attention by the state regarding funding for public schools. Those areas included increasing the foundation funding from the current rate of $5,400 per student; increasing the amount of categorical funding for the current and upcoming school years and easing the financial burden placed on school districts by unfunded mandates.

If those areas are addressed, it would be good news for his school district.

"We believe our district has made great use of our categorical funding, so we are in pretty good shape with our instructional programs," Lovelady said.

Categorical funding includes monies from programs such as National School Lunch Act, Alternative Learning Environments, English Language Learners and staff development.

"An increase in the base $5,400 per average daily membership would help us by being able to better compensate our teachers, pay for increased operational costs [such as] utilities and transportation fuel, and accommodate the student growth we have experienced in the lower grades the last three years," Lovelady said.

"If the state uses the entire timeframe [until] Dec. 1, 2006 to remedy the situation, it will obviously not help us any for this school year."

But based on what Gov. Mike Huckabee has said in response to the Supreme Court ruling, Lovelady said he isn't sure what the timetable will be for reforms to be enacted.

"I don't really anticipate a special session being called anytime soon based upon the current attitude held by Gov. Huckabee," he said. "But we will wait and see."

Under the funding formula that met approval by both the state House of Representatives and Senate in the spring, the Dover School District was scheduled to receive $97,699 more in total foundation and categorical funds for the current year than it did in 2005.

Dover was only one of two county school districts - the other being Pottsville - that was slated to receive increased funding for the current school year.

Administrators in the Clarksville School District are concerned about how the ruling will affect future construction plans.

During the regular meeting of the Clarksville School Board Thursday, district treasurer Freeman Wish said that, according to Huckabee's response to the court's ruling Thursday, new school construction may be temporarily frozen until more definite plans are made.

"How that affects building programs we don't know," Wish said. "Everything is still up in the air. We still don't know what's going to happen because facilities are a part of this whole thing."

According to current laws, school districts are required to submit 10-year facilities master plans to the state by Feb. 1, 2006. The plan for the Clarksville School District will likely include the construction of a new building, although school board members have yet to take any action on building plans.

The state has said $50 million is available for districts to partner with the state on construction of new buildings of renovations to existing buildings.

Don Johnston, Clarksville superintendent, said Huckabee wants a survey of school facilities throughout the state, although he hasn't said exactly how that will be done.

"These 10-year plans may be the survey he's referring to," Johnston said. "I'm sure he's wanting to see how much funding is required. But it's going to be a lot more than $50 million."

In preliminary plans the Clarksville School Board has reviewed, the estimated cost for construction of a new building is about $15 million. Johnston said Thursday that, in order to raise that amount, the district would need to request a millage increase of five mills if it receives some partnership from the state.

However, without a state partnership, the district would need an increase of nine mills to its current millage, he said.

"There's $50 million available, the way it stands right now," Johnston said. "But I don't know where we're going to be on that totem pole."